World Nature Photography Awards Winners

A prestigious competition that celebrates the beauty of nature through stunning photographs, the World Nature Photography Awards (WNPA) announced its winning images for 2024. British photographer Tracey Lund took the Gold Winner grand prize of $1000, along with the World Nature Photographer of the Year award.

The WNPA attracts amateur and professional photographers from around the world who submit images in 14 categories. Founded in 2020, this annual competition recognizes some of the world’s best nature photographers. But it strives to do more. “Whilst we know that the challenges around climate change are enormous, amazing things can be achieved if we all come together to affect change,” states the WNPA’s website.

This article showcases the winning photos: animal portraits, nature art, and landscapes from the most recent competition.

Behavior – Birds: Tracey Lund

Tracey Lund’s grand prize photograph was taken in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. “Thousands of gannets were in the sky above us and then started to dive into the sea after local fish,” Tracey said. “An unbelievable spectacle to witness, let alone photograph. I took 1800 images on that day but only had 2 that I could use.” She employed a rented DSLR in waterproof housing attached to polecam system.

Animal Portraits: Nicolas Remy

An underwater photographer from Sydney, Australia, Nicolas Remy won a gold award with his image of a black anglerfish. “I was aware of this black anglerfish living in a reef that I regularly dive and had in mind a portrait that would emphasize the character of this ambushed predator,” he said.

Behavior – Mammals: Alex Brackx

Belgium photographer Alex Brackx captured this stunning image of an attacking cheetah and its zebra prey in East Africa. “One cheetah ran towards us, clinging onto a foal. In those seconds, I took this picture of the mother zebra launching a last attempt to push her foal away from the attacking cheetah,” Alex said. “She failed. I will remember those last seconds for the rest of my life.”

Behavior – Amphibians and Reptiles: John Seager

A professional photographer from the United Kingdom, John Seager traveled to the Galapagos Islands for this winning image of a marine iguana and lava lizard standing on the iguana’s head. “This was the only time I saw a lizard basking on the head of an iguana,” he said. “both obviously enjoying the occasion with beatific smiles!”

Behavior – Invertebrates: Bill Klipp

American photographer Bill Klipp caught these Sally Lightfoot Crabs holding on to a rock as a wave came in. There was afternoon sun in Santiago Island, Galapagos. “I set up my tripod and pre-focused on the rocks, setting a very slow shutter speed to blur the moving water while keeping the stationary crab sharp,” he told WNPA.

Nature Art: Miki Spitzer

Israeli photographer Miki Spitzer combined blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment in the topography of Iceland to create this abstract image. “Is it a beautiful elephant with a flowing lion’s mane? Or a lion’s head with luxurious flowing braids?” Miki asks. “It’s up to you and your imagination.”

People and Nature: Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis

Traditional stilt fishermen on the shore at Koggala, Sri Lanka, captured by Greek photographer Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis. “Traditional, artisanal fishing methods like these, used for subsistence do not pose significant threats to the ocean’s natural resources and on the contrary make local communities stakeholders to the ocean’s health,” Ioannis was quoted by WNPA.

Plants and Fungi: Chatree Lertsintanakorn

Chatree Lertsintanakorn of Thailand identified this plant as Thismia thaithongiana, its scientific name. Chatree described it as “a kind of living organism with a strange shape that looked like an owl.”

Underwater: Andy Schmid

Andy Schmid of Switzerland braved the cold water temperatures of the fjords of Northern Norway to get this shot of an orca foraging within a herring bait ball. Andy told WNPA: “Being able to free-dive and capture the action on an ongoing feeding frenzy in these conditions is difficult but I managed to create a series of photos I had never dreamt of capturing.”

Planet Earth’s Landscapes & Environments: Ivan Pedretti

A winter landscape in Stokksnes, Iceland shows the black sand of the beach and Vestrahorn mountain in the background, by Italian photographer Ivan Pedretti. “I love the contrast in colours between the white mountains and the black dunes with yellow grass,” Ivan said to WNPA.

Black and White: Richard Li

Richard Li, from the United States, caught this moment from a hidden shelter in Kenya. As he described it: “I patiently waited until late into the night to capture the graceful moment when a leopard approached the pond, elegantly turning around.”

Animals in their Habitat: Amit Eshel

Amit Eshel of Israel, captured this battle between two Nubian Ibex males during mating season in the Zin Desert of southern Israel. “I wanted to include the Zin valley and mountains in the image, so I knew I will have to hike up and and position myself above them with the stunning backdrop,” Amit said of this World Nature Photography Awards gold winner.

Urban Wildlife: Roy Wiesner

Israeli photographer Roy Wiesner found this scene close to home. A small bird made a nest in a broken dragon mobile at a residence. He waited for several days for the right moment. “Finally, the female was content and agreed to pose at the entrance to her new home,” Roy said. “Even the dragon couldn’t but smile.”

Nature Photojournalism: Celia Kujala

American photographer Celia Kujala traveled to the Coronado Islands of Baja California, Mexico for this image. It is both playful and troubling to picture a sea lion toying with human trash. “It is extremely sad to see what our waste is doing to them, and even though it is hard to make changes, we must do better,” Celia told WNPA.

Final Words for the World Nature Photography Awards

The World Nature Photography Awards recognize the beauty of our natural world through the lenses of talented photographers. This prestigious competition showcases breathtaking images. In addition, it stresses environmental conservation and ethical photography practices. The WNPA encourages photographers to capture the wonders of nature while respecting and preserving the delicate ecosystems they encounter.

We have a number of articles on wildlife and nature photography, including a Guide for Beginners and a feature on Famous Wildlife Photographers. 

I hope you find inspiration in the images from the most recent WNPA. If you have any questions or comments, please submit them in the space below.

Take Away

In its fifth year, the World Nature Photography Awards celebrated the artistry and vision of photographers with a gallery of brilliant images and a message that the planet’s beauty and the welfare of its creatures are in our hands.